Love Unites Us All
Chapter 1: Surprises
A/n: Hey, guys! This is just a quick author's note, I usually begin the first chapter of a story that's within the K rating, but I think I'm gonna have to start this one with a T rating due to a rather suggestive scene in the first few paragraphs hehe. Rest of the Author's Note will be at the end of the chapter.
Raindrops fell steadily down from a dark and foreboding sky, providing the vast lands of the Pridelands with the much-needed rainwater. The past few weeks have been rather dismal and taxing for animals living in the vast savanna, as the long summer heatwave kicked in and dried up most of the water-holes that were crucial for all the animals' survival. But the early-morning shower that poured over the savanna came to as a surprise for the animals, as it was speculated that there won't be any rain till the next couple of months. But then again, who were they to question the works of Mother Nature?
As the downpour continued, the rain slowly replenished the dried-up waterholes with fresh water, attracting all the thirsty animals from their respective habitats. Predators and prey; leopards and servals, gazelles, oryxes and zebras, all gathered side-by-side in the rain around the water-holes to get a much-needed drink. This was a display of one of the many beauties of the Circle of Life; the prey animals can coexist peacefully and be in close proximity with the predator animals without fear whenever they weren't hunting, there was a genuine bond between the two classes of animals.
While most of the Pridelands' animals were away from their homes, a particular Cheetah was still curled up in a small den somewhere in the middle of Pridelands, a peaceful smile graced her lips while she's still in the midst of her slumber.
Fuli stirred in her sleep when she felt the soft fur of another animal lightly brushed against her golden-yellow pelt. "Rise and shine, honey," this other animal breathed into her ear in a rather husky voice.
The Cheetah lifted an eyelid and saw Kion towering just above her with a rather naughty smile spread across his muzzle. Fuli let out a brief chuckle and shifted slightly when her Lion went over gently placed his body over hers. "You're up early," she smiled, lifting a paw to caress her mate's lush mane that was now above her head.
"Early? It's been three hours since sunrise!" Kion chuckled, burying his muzzle against the nape of her neck and taking in her sweet scent. "You must really be worn out from our err... late-night activities..."
The two shared a mischievous grin at the memory of their rather intimate 'activities' that they engaged in last night just before they retreated into their slumbers. "Oh, you have no idea how unbelievably exhausting it was for me," she retorted, throwing a smirk at him.
Despite what she had said, Fuli personally found last night to be one of the most enjoyable nights she ever had. The dull, throbbing pain in her lower abdomen was a testament to that. It wasn't their first time committing such a sacred act, they have been doing it since they got married about three months ago.
The act itself was so primal, yet so pure and it came quite naturally for the young couple, both Lion and Cheetah aren't shy to admit that. Yet, despite these 'acts' being legally committed in the course of their marriage, questions have arose from the other animals as to whether the young couple would be able to produce any results, given the obvious difference of their species. But the strong-willed, inter-species couple weren't about to let a few questions of doubt harm the loving relationship that they shared with each other.
"You know, I overheard our lovely aardvark neighbors mention that 'the one' in the morning is actually much more... effective and... pleasurable than 'the one' at night. I wonder how true is that..." Kion whispered, his breath spilled over the side of her ear while his left paw began roaming around her underbelly.
Fuli let out a soft whimper when she felt her mate's paw explore her every turn and every curve of her body. "Well... let's find out, then," she whispered back, trying desperately to stifle a moan.
Both felines let out a lustful giggle as Kion began licking the fur around the back of Fuli's neck and readjusting his body at the same time. "You sure you're up for this?" Fuli asked, looking behind to throw a lustful gaze towards her Lion.
Kion returned an assuring smile at her. "Oh, I'm ready... As ready as I'll ever-"
"MUMMY! DADDY! Are you two playing leap-frog?"
"Hevi my Kebisa!" Kion exclaimed in a panic before rolling off from Fuli in less than a fraction of a second.
Both Lion and Cheetah flashed nervous smiles towards a male Lion cub, who sported a pelt of bright orange and a cream-colored underbelly, had just entered the couple's personal quarters of the den.
"Oops. I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb-" the cub shyly began in his squeaky, boyish voice when he saw both Lion and Cheetah blushing heavily under their fur.
"No, no it's okay, Mwamba. Your mum and I were just... err... playing... leap-frog together..." Kion trailed off in his poorly-crafted explanation, earning him a "Seriously?" glare from Fuli.
"Oooh! In that case, can I join in too?" The young cub named Mwamba innocently cried out with enthusiasm, making the situation a whole lot more awkward for the young couple.
"Err... maybe next time, eh, son?" Kion promptly replied and began playfully ruffling a paw around the cub's bare head that has yet to sport a fully-grown mane.
"Oh... well, okay then," he replied, his ears folded back with disappointment.
Both Kion and Fuli couldn't help but smile at the cub, he actually looked quite adorable in his disheartened state. Mwamba wasn't actually a product of their marriage; Fuli had actually found him wandering alone in the hostile territories of the Backlands, about eight miles away from the Pridelands a couple of months ago .
The young, scrawny cub was only a few weeks old when Fuli found him. At first, the Cheetah's natural instincts told her to find the cub's parents and carry on with her hunt, but after searching high and low, and eventually convinced that the infant was in fact alone, she decided to take him in and raise him together with her mate. Of course, the Lions of Pride Rock were more than excited to welcome little Mwamba into the Pride when Fuli first carried him by his scruff into the Lair, but the one Lion that was particularly ecstatic about the cub's arrival was none other than Kion.
That very day when Mwamba entered the Lair and into his life, that was the day when he felt his life was complete. He was only three weeks into his marriage with Fuli and he was already blessed with a beautiful cub to call his son. He didn't care that Mwamba wasn't his biological offspring, he had pledged to himself that he'd do his very best to make sure the young cub would grow up to be a powerful Lion that would one day be the leader of his own pride. But Kion had another reason to be overjoyed in being able to raise Mwamba as his step-father.
While it was true that he pledged a never-ending loyalty to uphold his matrimony with Fuli, he, like most of the other animals, had his own doubts whether they could conceive a child of their own together. But with Mwamba's arrival, he could finally put aside those doubts and focus on being a parent for the young cub. And so, as the months passed by, Mwamba himself had grown used to being raised by his step-parents.
"Mummy, mummy, I thought we're supposed to visit Simba and Nala at Pride Rock today!" The young cub exclaimed, giddily jumping up and down at the spot.
Fuli chuckled and gave her son a loving nuzzle. "Yes, dear, we know. But we can't go right now, it's still raining outside."
"Awww... then what're we gonna do until the rain stops?"
"Hey, I got an idea, kiddo!" Kion chimed in. "Why don't you get that baobab fruit in the back and we can have a little game of indoor "Baobab Ball" till the rain stops?"
"Great idea, Dad! I'll get the baobab fruit, but I'm gonna beat you this time, you'll see!" Mwamba exclaimed before scampering away, as his parents watched him go off with smiles on their muzzles.
"I err... I suppose we have to continue where we left off... tonight?" Kion began once he was sure his son was out of ear-shot.
Fuli let out a small chuckle as her mate sauntered over and nuzzled affectionately against her side. "Tonight it is," she whispered into his ear, giving him a slow lick on his muzzle. Kion smirked at her before walking ahead to join his son.
XXXXXXXXX
The family of three eventually left their den a few minutes later as the rain had stopped sooner than they expected. They took their time as they strolled through the vast meadow on the way to Pride Rock, admiring the Sprawling Duneweeds that bloomed after the rain.
"Daddy, you think grandfather Simba would like to play Baobab Ball with us? Or is he too old to be playing games like this?" Mwamba asked while walking between his parents.
"Well, your grandfather may be old, but I don't think he's that old to turn down a game of Baobab Ball," Kion smiled at his step-son. "But, if you want to play, you'll have to find a new Baobab fruit since we left ours behind at the den."
"On it, Dad!" The young cub exclaimed before rushing ahead towards a cluster of Baobab trees a few feet in the distance.
His step-parents smiled as they watched him scamper away towards the trees. "You still haven't outgrown that baobab game of yours, huh?" Fuli asked, flashing a teasing grin towards her mate.
"Nope, not in a million years," Kion smirked at her. "You know, even Simba used to play that game with Nala when they were cubs, I don't see why you shouldn't be joining us whenever Mwamba and I play Baobab ball."
"Nah, that's okay... I still think it's a rather... childish game to play... especially if you're a Lion prince and the fierce leader of the Lion Guard."
"Nah, not for this Lion Prince," Kion grinned with a laugh. "And anyways, the rest of the Guard are always delighted to have a match with with me, except you of course."
Fuli chuckled and gave him a teasing nudge. They strolled ahead through the flowers as Kion kept a watchful eye on Mwamba, who was standing at the base of a Baobab tree. "Be careful when you're climbing that tree, son!" He shouted his warning.
He watched as the young cub sprang onto the tree bark and used his claws to carefully make his way up to the highest branch.
"Wow! Our boy has become quite the tree-climber, eh?" Kion commented with a chuckle as he .
That was when he noticed his mate had stopped walking and was now staring towards the ground, the confused look on her face instantly told him that she was somehow disoriented. "Fuli, honey, you okay?" He asked with genuine concern as he walked back towards her.
Fuli began blinking rapidly and her breathing had steadily intensified. She struggled to even look at her concerned mate as her vision slowly became distorted. "I... I don't know, Kion, I... I don't know... what's... going..."
"FULI!"
"MUM!"
The last thing she saw was Kion and Mwamba rushing hurriedly towards her, panic instilled in their voices before her legs gave way and she eventually collapsed onto the ground, as her vision slowly succumbed into eternal darkness.
To be continued...
A/n: Thanks for reading this first chapter of the sequel guys! Hope you'll continue with your kind support as you all did with Forbidden Love :) Please leave a review on your thoughts on this chapter and I wish you all a joyous day ahead! :D
-yingyangmaster